Wearable and absorbent articles are well known in the art. Absorbent articles typically have an absorbent core, which is held or positioned against the body of the wearer during use by a fastening system, such that the bodily exudates are caught by the article. Typical absorbent articles include a topsheet facing the wearer which permits fluid exudates to pass through and a backsheet which prevents the exudates from escaping from the absorbent article.
Many advancements have been made in the art since the introduction of the disposable absorbent article. However, most of these articles are not adapted to aid the caregiver in the monitoring of the health of the wearer. Certain attempts have been made in the art to include analysis of components of human waste, such as urine and feces, to provide indication of various specific health issues such as infections (e.g., urinary tract infections, etc.). For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,236 issued to Everhart et al. on Nov. 21, 1995 discloses a disposable absorbent product that includes a chemically reactive means having an end point adapted to provide a visual indicator of the presence of a substance in mammalian bodily excrement. However, the prior art fails to provide the caregiver with a means of monitoring for the early indication of the onset of dehydration, often resulting in a delay in recognition of, and the ultimate diagnosis and treatment of, this issue for the wearer. Thus, it would be desirable to provide wearable articles with the capability to detect signals related to a dehydrated state of a wearer.